Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

As 2016 ended, Dominika Cibulkova was ranked fifth in the world and positioned to spend the next year as a weekly contender on the WTA Tour.

But the great expectations hovered over the tour veteran, even as she reached a career-high No. 4 ranking in March. It was a new dynamic for a player who spent most of her career outside the Top 10.

"I was putting too much pressure on myself," Cibulkova said. "I had a lot of expectation for myself. Every single match I was approaching, I was favorite. I didn't approach it in a good way. I was just putting too much pressure on myself."

The result? She was unable to reach the final in any tournament this year and...

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